5 reasons why skipping meals after Christmas celebrations may not be as supportive as you think
And why continuing to support your body with your usual meals and snacks matters — even if you’ve eaten more than expected.
For many people, the moments or days after Christmas can feel confusing. Messaging from diet culture — and sometimes even from loved ones — encourages us to “make up for it” through restriction or compensation. Over time, this can start to feel like the “right” thing to do, simply because it’s so normalised.
But when we consider what a positive or neutral relationship with food actually looks like, it becomes clear that skipping meals, even the day after Christmas festivities, isn’t supportive for our body or our relationship with food. In fact, it can reinforce the very cycles many of us are working hard to step away from.
Let’s explore five reasons why returning to your usual eating pattern is not only okay, but important.
1. Skipping meals or snacks is a form of compensation and punishment
After eating a big or “special” meal, many people feel pressure to skip the next one. This often comes from the idea that food is something you have to “earn” or “deserve.”
But your body doesn’t need to be punished for enjoying a celebration or sharing food with people you care about. When we restrict after eating, our brain learns that certain foods have to be “paid back,” which can create guilt and make eating feel stressful instead of enjoyable.
Supportive action: Keep returning to your usual meals and snacks as a way of breaking this cycle.
2. Eating as you usually would is more than okay — and it’s not about willpower
Celebration food and special occasions are part of life, and your body knows exactly how to handle it.
There will be many times throughout life when you eat more than you expected — not because you “lost control,” but because you were having fun, feeling connected, or simply enjoying something delicious.
Food is nourishment, yes — but it’s also culture, tradition, joy, taste, comfort, and community. Eating more on some days is a totally normal part of being human.
Supportive action: Don’t restrict yourself, because this will just reinforce a restriction cycle. Try return to your regular meal and snack patterns after festive meals.
3. Skipping meals reinforces the restriction cycle
When you skip meals, your body often responds with stronger hunger later. That can make you feel out of control around food. This pattern — restrict, then overeat, then restrict again — is super common.
Over time, this reinforces the idea that the only way to feel “in control” is by restricting. But it also makes food feel stressful and unpredictable.
Staying nourished helps interrupt this cycle and rebuilds trust in your body’s signals. Your body thrives on rhythm and consistency.
Supportive idea: Try an opposite action — even if your mind urges you to restrict, offer your body something to eat to meet its needs.
4. You might not feel hungry, but your body still needs nourishment
After a big meal or a full day of celebration, hunger cues can get quieter. Stress, excitement, or anxiety around the festive season can also reduce appetite.
But even if hunger feels low or absent, your body still relies on regular meals and snacks to function, concentrate, think clearly, move, and stay steady.
Supportive idea: Consider planning or preparing meals/snacks in advance so they’re accessible, and pair eating with a grounding or breathing activity if needed.
5. You are allowed to enjoy festive foods [without compensating for it later]
Eating more than usual, embracing some different foods or taking moments of rest do not need to be “fixed” through compensation in the future [such as engaging in additional exercise, restricting food or starting a diet].
It is ok to embrace the festive occasion- you haven’t done anything wrong.
Compensation teaches your brain that every celebration or moments you have listened to your body must be corrected — which can make special moments feel stressful instead of meaningful.
Supportive idea: Focus on activities or hobbies that genuinely support your wellbeing, rather than ones rooted in punishment.
a little reminder
Christmas is just one moment in a much bigger picture. Choosing nourishment instead of compensation sends a powerful message. Your body deserves care. Every day. In every season.
How do you want to remember this time of year?
This post was written by the delightful Tayla, dietician and founder of Fuelled with Tayla. To learn more about Tayla and the incredible work she is doing to support people in fostering a positive relationship with food and their body you can follow her on Instagram or check out her website.
